Stage victory atop Jabeel Hafeet sealed overall Abu Dhabi Tour victory for Alejandro Valverde. The Spaniard winning his first stage race outside of Europe ahead of Wilco Kelderman (Sunweb) and Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana).
There was a full reshuffle of the top-ten on GC with the sole summit finish of the race once again crucial in deciding the red jersey winner. Rohan Dennis was unable to match the high pace on the climb with Valverde and Lopez skipping clear of their rivals and ending the GC hopes of the Australian. The first chase group, which included Kelderman, was lead over the line by Julian Alaphilippe 15 seconds in arrears to Valverde and Lopez.
Where Valverde excelled, the stage was less glamorous for the likes of Tom Dumoulin, Ilnur Zakarin and Rui Costa. The podium finishes from 2017 unable to repeat their heroics with Costa the best of the trio in 7th overall.
